Capsule medical apparatus

• US 8,480,562 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2010
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Katayama, Miho
• Primary Examiner(s): Nia, Alireza
• Application Number:
  US12/897,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20110207998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 600/106, 600/107, 600/109, 600/117, 600/118, 600/160, 600/170, 600/178
• US Class Current: 600/107
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14507 specially adapted for measuring characteristics of body fluids other than blood devices for taking samples of body liquids A61B10/0045
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6861 Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6873 Intestine
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6882 Anchoring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6884 Clamps or clips
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 31/002 Devices for releasing a drug at a continuous and controlled rate for a prolonged period of time artificial gland structures or devices A61F2/022; intra-uterine contraceptive devices A61F6/14; tampons for introducing into the vagina A61F13/20, A61L15/00; suppositories or bougies for intra-vaginal or intra-uterine application A61K9/02; physical forms of medicinal preparations for sustained or differential drug release A61K9/20, A61K9/50

Abstract

A capsule medical apparatus capable of injecting a medical agent into a living tissue includes a casing, a pressing member that presses the surface of the living tissue, a driving unit that causes the pressing member to protrude from the casing in a predetermined direction and to press the surface of the living tissue while rotating the pressing member around a rotation axis parallel to the protruding direction, and a needle-like puncturing member that is arranged on the pressing member and punctures the living tissue in an oblique direction with respect to the surface of the living tissue to thereby inject the medical agent into the living tissue along with the rotation of the pressing member driven by the driving unit.

Claims

1. A capsule medical apparatus comprising:

a casing;

a pressing member configured to contact and press a surface of a living tissue;

a driving unit that causes the pressing member to protrude from the casing and to press the surface of the living tissue while rotating the pressing member around a rotation axis parallel to a direction in which the pressing member protrudes; and

a needle-like puncturing member that is arranged on the pressing member and punctures the living tissue in an oblique direction with respect to the surface of the living tissue to thereby inject a medical agent into the living tissue along with the rotation of the pressing member driven by the driving unit, wherein the pressing member is formed of linear members, has an end portion spreadable in a radial direction of the rotation axis, is foldable to be in a state in which the end portion is not spread, is stored in the casing in a folded manner, is configured to be unfolded when protruding to an outside of the casing and be stored in the casing in the folded manner after the medical agent is injected, wherein the puncturing member is arranged on the pressing member at a distance away from an end of the pressing member that presses the surface of the living tissue.

2. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the puncturing member is arranged in a plane substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis of the pressing member, and

a puncture direction of the puncturing member corresponds to a direction in which the puncturing member comes into contact with a rotational trajectory in a vicinity of an end of the pressing member.

3. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

a base portion of the puncturing member is at a position shifted by a predetermined distance from an end of the pressing member toward a base end side of the pressing member, and an end of the puncturing member is at a more forward position than the base portion of the puncturing member in a protruding direction of the pressing member when the pressing member protrudes.

4. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of a length of the puncturing member and an inclination angle with respect to the surface of the living tissue is increased as a depth from the surface of the living tissue to a region to which a medical agent is to be injected increases.

5. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the pressing member is formed of the linear members of which end portions are spreadable in the radial direction of the rotation axis so as to form a cone shape.

6. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

after the puncturing member injects the medical agent, the driving unit rotates the pressing member around the rotation axis in a direction opposite to a direction in which the pressing member rotates before the medical agent is injected, to thereby move the pressing member away from the surface of the living tissue.

7. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a magnetic body arranged inside the casing.

8. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit includes a driving magnetic body, and causes the pressing member to rotate and be pressed against the surface of the living tissue by rotating the driving magnetic body by an induction field applied from the outside.

9. The capsule medical apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an imaging unit and an illuminating unit.